The last stage in the life history of the European conger eel Conger conger: a transformation before death.

The taxonomic, morphological and meristic features of a dark eel caught by commercial trawling off the Gulf of Patti, southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Mediterranean Sea, February 17, 2017, showed it to be a female Conger conger. Histological analysis of gonads demonstrated that the individual was in a post-spawning phase. X-ray radiographs showed widespread decalcification of skeleton and teeth loss, confirming a strong mobilisation of somatic energy reserves needed for reproductive development.